


Goldfinch Nocturne

by omixnous



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Before everything went to shit in Arcadia, Can be platonic or romantic, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm in pain. I just want them to be happy and alive, Idiots in the rain, Pre-Before The Storm, The title is a Roar song, hot cocoa!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omixnous/pseuds/omixnous
Summary: On a rainy, sleepless night, Nathan decides to sit outside on campus.A beloved friend soon joins and they share a few conversations, emotions, as well as a hot drink.
Relationships: Rachel Amber/Nathan Prescott
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	Goldfinch Nocturne

Like one of many, many nights, Nathan cannot seem to fall asleep.

After endlessly scrolling social media apps on his phone, rolling back in forth in his bed, and looking at the rain falling outside through the blinds of his small window for what feels like an eternity, the boy says to himself, _“Fuck it.”_  
He gets up. Grabs a coat off the floor, his camera and a lighter. Also, he puts some real pants on.

When it comes to getting in and out of the dormitory past curfew Nathan’s a real Houdini; he knows exactly how to open and close doors the silent way, which stairs creak under his weight, and where lights detectors are placed outside.  
Well, he learned that the hard way. Without even mentioning how careful Nathan gets in his own home around his dad, getting walked back to his dorm room by that weird fucking janitor at 3 am became one of his top 5 most embarrassing moments for sure.  
That dude’s creepy as hell. Physically, Nathan could deck him without a problem. But his beady, emotionless eyes look like they could curse him on 3 generations by simply blinking. So Nathan’s always careful not to get caught by him again.  
He gets out of the building easy peasy and walks to his usual spot, shielding his head from the rain with his arms. _Shit_. He forgot that jacket doesn’t have a goddamn hood.

One of the tables here on campus is perfectly placed; hidden enough that no one sees you but not enough to block out the view on the fountain and surrounding trees. And it’s right under a roof as well so the spot is protected from the weather at all times. It really doesn’t get any better than this. 

Nathan gets comfortable. He turns his camera on and starts looking through his photos. Deleting some such as the blurry or overexposed ones. Though, he quickly becomes bored of that activity.  
Puffing on a cigarette, he frowns at the screen. He only has a few days left to submit one of these photos for a class project. His photography teacher has been so needy with his assignments lately, the guy seriously needs to get laid. Nathan didn’t expect this when he came to this school hoping to be turned into some kind of professional artist with the snap of the notorious _Mark Jefferson_ ’s fingers. Turns out it’s a little more complicated than that.  
Eh. He’ll be fine. Nathan turns off his camera for the night. 

Instead, he sets on looking at the rain falling around him. The trees look like they’re moving, with each drop of water hitting their branches. Snails are thriving on the campus’ main path. The fountain seems like it’s overflowing. There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere.  
It’s calming. Nathan dares to close his eyes for a second. Letting the ambient noises rock him to sleep. Or something close to it, at least.

“Boo.” Nathan suddenly hears right into his ear. The heat hitting his neck along with it surprising him so badly that he lets go of his smoke in a frightened jump. He quickly turns his head to meet a familiar grin and set of feathers.  


“Jesus fucking.. You scared me.” Nathan picks up the fallen cigarette off the muddy ground. _Great_ , now it’s wet.  


“That was the goal.” Rachel sits down on the bench next to him with a satisfied smirk.  


“Is that… Are you in your pajamas right now?” He deadpans. Pointing at her worn-out hoodie and loose red flannel pants.  


“Yeah? What about it?”  


“Nothing. In fact, very stylish.” He pokes fun at her.  


Rachel crosses her legs and turns her body in Nathan’s direction. “So what are you doing out here?” She asks in her annoying-teacher voice.  


“What about _you_?” He strikes back.  


She shrugs. “I saw you.”  


“Wow. Stalker much?”  


Ignoring his banter, she gets up, taking Nathan’s arm with her in the process. “Let’s go get something if we’re planning on staying the night out.”  


And Nathan can’t help but let her snatch him away from his seat at the use of that word. _“We.”_

The rain doesn’t seem that appealing anymore as they run across campus in direction of the main school building, desperately trying not to get drenched.  
Nathan’s so out of breath, he slips on the wet floor and falls flat on his ass. Twice. On top of that, Rachel openly laughs at him as she runs by his side. _This is hell._

“I think it’s broken.” Nathan whispers behind Rachel, both standing in front of what seems to be two turned off vending machines.  
Without giving Nathan any kind of warning, the blonde sends one hard kick into one of the tall automatons. He snorts at the sight of the machine’s intern lights actually turning back on.  


“Fixed it.” Rachel simply states, fishing into her pajama pants’ pocket for change. “Whad’ya want?”  


“Huh…”  


“Hot cocoa it is.” She presses the buttons and turns around to smile at Nathan, arms tucked behind her back.  


Soon enough, hot cocoa starts pouring into two tiny plastic cups with a sound that ended the building’s previous dead silence without fail. Nathan physically cringes.  
“Goddamn, that thing is _loud_.” He scans the empty halls hoping the noise didn’t alarm anyone.  


She goes to grab the fuming hot cups and hands one to her late-night companion. “Relax big boy.” She teases him.

The two of them sip on their drink in silence with their back flat to a wall outside.  
Rachel seemed cold in her wet clothes when they got back out so Nathan gave her his coat. _Smooth_.It looks kinda ridiculous with her outfit but, it’s also cute. He still can’t believe she went outside in the rain only wearing her pj’s. That girl truly is something.

Nathan downs his cocoa. He’s gotta pay her back someday for that very much welcomed, late-night snack. He couldn’t have asked for a better one too, it’s like she’s a mind-reader. He would’ve pissed himself if she went for two black coffees. Thank god for hot cocoa.

“Hey, I was wondering,” Rachel moves to throw their cups in a nearby bin. “Are you dating that girl? What’s her name again…”  


“Samantha? No. No no.” Nathan raises an eyebrow at her unexpected question.  


“Why not? She seems nice.”  


“She’s… She’s just not my type.” He admits, looking away. Praying to any Gods that can by some miracle hear him for Rachel _not_ to ask what his type is.  


“Shut up!” She manages to whisper loudly, out of the blue.  


“What?” Confused, Nathan looks back at Rachel who’s now squatting, intensely looking somewhere in the distance.  


“Can you see it?”  


He looks. Well, he _tries_ to. He has no clue where he’s even supposed to look.  


“It’s right there.”  


“Can you… Just tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to see!”  


“Shhhh!” She shushes him and moves carefully into the bushes, crouching like some lunatic. Nathan decides to simply stand back and observe, crossing his arms over his chest.  


She lifts her hands slowly, ready to strike. And she does. “Ah!” Rachel exclaims before giggling.  


“So?” Nathan asks, getting impatient.  


“I’m so good at this.” She returns to her friend with her hands closed, clearly holding something. Something alive.  


“If that’s some kind of nasty ass bug I swear to--”  


She finally opens her hands and Nathan comes face to face with a small toad. Probably the size of a nut. Brown with some darker spots all around. The little guy looked like he was frowning.  


“No fucking way.” Nathan laughs out, a big smile spread across his face.  


“What should we call him?”  


He grimaces. “You seriously want to give it a name?”  


“Huh, duh? You never name the frogs you find?”  


“No?...”  


“You monster.” Rachel pouts at him.

Back at their original spot, the two sit on top of the table this time. Although, throughout their conversations, Rachel decides to lay down with her head on Nathan’s lap instead. He lets her without a fight but warns her about the possible shaky legs. She’s fine with it and he lowkey gets butterflies about it. _Fuck it_. Now he’s definitely shaking.

Playing with her blond streaks absentmindedly, Nathan explains how he’s been thinking about reviving and representing this old Blackwell group with Victoria, Hayden, and some other kids. He thinks it could be fun, they’d throw parties on school ground and stuff. He might even get his dad to accept financing it. He’s pretty excited about it.

“Vortex club, huh?”  


“So you’re in?”  


Rachel clicks her tongue. “Nah.”  


Nathan’s face falls.  


“Sorry Nate, it’s nothing personal.” She snorts. “I just hate clubs.”  


“Are you shitting me? You’re in the theater club.”  


“That’s different. Plus, they _need_ a brilliant actor like me. What would they do without ‘lil old me.”  


“Modest.” 

Rachel was obviously joking there but she actually is pretty fucking good at acting. Nathan’s seen it first-hand.  
And... He gets it. She’s simply too good to be tied to any specific group. She’s like her own club. You’d have to be seriously blind to overlook Rachel’s free-spirited mindset. Nathan had noticed that trait quickly after meeting her. He honestly envies her.

“You should come back on scene. It’s boring here without you.” She whines.  


Nathan rolls his eyes with a dry laugh.  


“I’m not joking. You have some serious talent, pursue it!” Rachel grabs his hand.  


“I can’t.” He stares at the delicate hand on him. Eyes low. “My dad made me join the football team.”  


“What? Since when exactly do you enjoy that crap?”  


“I don’t.” He sighs. “He just..”  


“I know, Nate.” She whispers, squeezing his hand tighter.

They look into each other’s eyes in silence for a moment.  
It’s not awkward or anything, but… There’s a heavy, gloomy tension behind that stillness.

“Whatever.” Nathan shakes his head while finally breaking contact. He goes to light another cigarette.  


“I’ll still come, though.”  


“Hmm?” He hums questioningly with the stick between his lips, his face illuminated by the flame with each attempted flick.  


“The Vortex parties. I’ll come.” She steals the lighter from his hand and burns the cigarette for him with her extended arm. “Just not as a member.”

Rachel could really be odd sometimes. But that’s fine with Nathan. As long as she’d stay by his side one way or another, he’d be fine.  
She smiles at him gently, and he smiles back.

“Alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just some quick writing... I miss them. I need more amberscott content bark bark :(  
> For Emma<33


End file.
